5 Most Disappointing 2012 College Football Recruiting Classes

As we continue to count down the days until National Signing Day on Feb. 1, we're beginning to see which schools are in the process of putting the final touches on some of the best recruiting classes in the country this year.

While there are plenty of big-name prospects who are still floating out there that have yet to commit, schools like Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan and Florida all presently look like they'll be the ones who should be in the running to earn the distinction of having the No. 1 recruiting class of 2012.

Still, there are a few top programs that haven't exactly been having a ton of success on the recruiting trail.

Here's a look at five teams that are on the verge of bringing in disappointing recruiting classes this year.

Auburn Tigers

Auburn put together highly-rated top-10 recruiting classes in 2010 and 2011, and that infusion of young talent will certainly pay major dividends in 2012. But this year, after a bit of a "come back down to Earth" type of season, the Tigers haven't exactly had much luck on the recruiting trail.

Unlike in years past, Gene Chizik hasn't been able to reel in any heralded 5-star prospects this year, and losing star running back recruit T.J. Yeldon (Daphne HS, Alabama), who de-committed from the Tigers and joined archrival Alabama, was a huge blow, especially with running back Michael Dyer leaving for Arkansas State.

Auburn has commitments from some potential star players like WR JaQuay Williams, LB Cassanova McKinzy and TE Ricky Parks, and the Tigers should finish with a top-25 class when all is said and done.

Overall, though, this year's group lacks the same pizzazz of the last two years.

Wisconsin Badgers

Given that Wisconsin just won its second consecutive Big Ten title and made its second consecutive appearance in the Rose Bowl, you would probably expect the Badgers to have one of the premier recruiting classes in the Big Ten this year, right?

Well, no, that's definitely not the case, as Brett Bielema only has 12 commitments for his 2012 class with just a few weeks to go before National Signing Day.

The Badgers could possibly have their quarterback of the future in Bart Houston out of De La Salle high school, and they did a good job of dipping into states like New Jersey, Florida and California to pick up some quality talent.

Overall, though, this class lacks a lot of depth, and given the success they had the past two seasons, the Badgers could have done better on the recruiting trail this year.

Washington Huskies

Steve Sarkisian arrived in Washington talking a big game, but after three seasons, he hasn't exactly lived up to the hype, as the Huskies are just 19-19 in his tenure.

Washington could use a big recruiting haul to help boost the momentum of the program, but it doesn't look like it'll happen this year, as all the Huskies really have to brag about this year is commitments from two 4-star quarterbacks, Jeff Lindquist and Cyler Miles.

With budding star QB Keith Price having two years of eligibility left, it's hard to really get too excited about Lindquist or Miles just yet, since we probably won't see either of them for another two years.

Stealing away defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi, one of the best recruiters in the country, from Cal was a smart move (and giving him a major pay raise showed just how desperate they were for help on the recruiting trail), but unless Lupoi can bring a recruit like 5-star safety Shaq Thompson with him, that pickup won't really pay off until next year.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

With the massive improvement of the facilities at Oklahoma State in the past few years thanks to the checkbook of T. Boone Pickens, the Cowboys now have the resources to lure big recruits to Stillwater.

Unfortunately for Mike Gundy, though, he just hasn't been able to get many high-profile players to commit to the Cowboys this year, even after his team went 12-1 and won the Fiesta Bowl this past season.

Losing out on RB Barry Sanders to Stanford wasn't an easy pill to swallow, and it doesn't appear that the Cowboys will be able to reel in any true marquee names like they did with Herschel Sims last year.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Given all that's gone at Penn State over the past few months with the firing of Joe Paterno and the ongoing Jerry Sandusky scandal, nobody was expecting a banner year for the Nittany Lions as far as recruiting goes, and up to this point, it certainly hasn't been. 

New coach Bill O'Brien is doing the best he can under tough circumstances, but with the way things look right now, the Nittany Lions are likely going to have one of the weakest recruiting classes in the Big Ten this year.

If Penn State can hold onto WR Eugene Lewis and CB Armani Reeves, two 4-star recruits, they'll have two nice pieces to add to the mix next season, but outside of them, there really isn't a lot to get excited about amongst the 13 other current commits.